Dancing Round All Alone
by Black Rose Heart
Summary: Arthur and Alfred are working on their school play, while both carry their own secret love. Will the tipping point between the two be reached? USUK, mentions of GerIta and Franada. Gakuen AU. Human names used. T for Arthur's language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Wow, I can't stop writing Gakuen AU lately XD Maybe its cause school's been especially tough lately. I love writing about my school's play, because we had the best time goofing off and I'd like to see Alfred and Arthur do half the stuff we did. Sort of my first attempt at a not overly explained beginning, so bear with me if it's spotty in parts XD

* * *

The sweet spring breeze blew pink petals across the grounds of Hetalia International, a school famous for its incredibly bright and diverse student population. Despite the pleasant mid-afternoon sun in the sky, hardly any of the senior class was enjoying the outside. Most, instead, were inside the auditorium. It wasn't unusual to see the students in the auditorium this time of year, mostly due to the yearly play being produced by the school. A surprising number of seniors were helping out this year, meaning that of course, only chaos could ensue.

Alfred F. Jones was one of those seniors. The ones with a trick up their sleeve and never without a hidden secret. He'd gotten the part of a jester this year, perfectly fitting his naturally joking personality.

Except, only one thing was on his mind as he slumped in a blue plastic chair stage left, just staring at the floor and finding a little comfort with the presence of his caring brother.

"So…um Alfred?" Matthew said, comforting the distraught American. Alfred was abnormally gloomy, which frightened his brother.

"Yeah?"

"Y'know, I…uh…get this way too, about Francis, I mean." Twiddling his thumbs, Matthew gave his best comforting technique.

"Hm?"

"W-well, uh, yeah, and…I just sorta…" Matthew blushed, then stood up and started moving across the empty stage, hidden from the empty auditorium by thick red velvet curtains, worn from the many years of productions. The Canadian held out his arms like he was dancing the waltz with a partner and swept across the floor tentatively, but with more confidence. To all the world, he looked like he was sashaying with an invisible partner. "It's silly, I know, but-"

"No, it's not." Alfred watched, marveling at how his brother could bear this pain so long. He knew for a fact Mattie had started liking the Frenchman last year, how could he have gone this entire time, walking alongside him, talking with him, working with him, without breaking from sheer hurt? He'd been in love for a year too, and _he_ was about to crack.

It made him realize how strong Matthew actually was.

Getting up, Alfred picked up his own invisible dance partner and spun around the floor himself. It seemed like the epitome of loneliness, but it made him feel just a bit better, a slight occupation of his fragile heart and confused mind. Listening to the soft tones of the vocalist, Alfred sighed lightly.

Suddenly, a blond head of hair emerged from the wings, walking up in a king's costume, right into his unrequited lover. "Oh! _Mon Dieu!_" Matthew bumped into him, immediately turning around and apologizing, "Sorry…"

"_Non, non, _it's fine, I'm just here for a mic check," Francis jerked his thumb at their strict German director on the other side of the wall, "_C'est impossible! _That mad man wants a check every five minutes!"

"This _is _tech time, Frenchie," Alfred smirked, "it's kinda what we do here."

"I'll…um…get the soundboard ready…" Matthew slipped into the chair behind a panel of switches and buttons, flipping a few and connecting a cable, "Uh, try it now."

"Testing, testing," Francis said, his voice creating a double effect for Alfred as it simultaneously echoed throughout the auditorium, "_Un, deux, un, deux…_" Matthew turned off the mic, nodding slightly.

"S-Seems fine." He stuttered as Francis waved a casual hand, "_Merci, _I'm off then."

"See ya." The brothers said in unison. Alfred whipped around quickly, "Jinx! You owe me your firstborn child!"

"Alfred!" Matthew winced, "Aren't you just supposed to ask for a soda or something?"

Alfred winked mischievously, "This way it's better, 'cause you probably won't have to pay me back if you and Fran-"

"Shhh!" The Canadian hurriedly hushed his brother, then sat back down at the panel, glasses reflecting the lit-up LEDs. "Go find someone else to bug. Tell Arthur I said hi."

"Aw Mattie, you're no fun." Alfred stuck out his tongue jokingly, heading backstage to get his makeup on.

The unlucky Brit in question was sitting near the side entrance to the auditorium, working on a commission for costumes. Even if he wouldn't admit it publicly, he was pretty good with a needle and thread.

Alfred sneakily walked up behind him. "How's it going?"

The sudden, new voice caused Arthur to jumped, "Bloody hell! Don't just startle someone like that! I bloody well would have gotten myself impaled if you'd shouted early, you git!" Fuming, Arthur turned back to sewing.

Alfred chuckled. "Nice to know you're glad to see me."

Arthur scowled down at his needlework. "Likewise." A wry smile stretched across his face as the American left to get his makeup.

Sitting down in front of a rather excited Elizaveta, Alfred closed his eyes as she applied a white base to his forehead. Arthur usually came by to comment on his makeup, directing attention to some of the mistakes made. He had a surprisingly good artistic sense.

"Hm, points here and there, and touch up the white by the cheekbones." A familiarly accented voice said, properly correcting the job. Alfred opened his blue eyes, which stood out against his now pale face.

"Heyah Artie."

"Stay still, you incompetent old codger. Makeup has to fix your face."

"Sheesh." Alfred said, closing his eyes as the Hungarian girl made corrections, feeling slight touches of the brush, laden with bits of grease paint. He wondered why Artie always came over to check his face paint, but he knew the Brit always laughed off to the side after seeing it, so maybe it was just because he looked funny.

When he looked in the plastic handled mirror, Alfred made some faces at his reflection, a blond, blue-eyed jester. "Okay. Thanks Liz."

"Anytime." The girl said back, quickly moving on to add green to an ogre's face, dabbing the paintbrush with a new color.

Alfred had already gotten on his costume, a patched, colored joker's motley with an utterly ridiculous ruff sewn out of coffee filters. He smiled. His hat was his favorite part, mismatched tacky fabric with only one bell. Climbing up the stairs out of the cluttered greenroom, he nearly bumped into a frazzled Arthur.

"Hey, Artie, what-"

"Can't talk. I've still got to get the props, why the bloody hell did no one tell me that show time was in twenty minutes?"

"Ar-"

"Busy! Go practice your lines with Feliciano, I'll have your prop in a bit!" Arthur disappeared among the piles of props and costumes that had been in the plays of Hetalia International since its foundation.

Alfred sighed. The grumpy Brit had a point, they had a scene they wanted to work in for the Sunday show. Why was he rushing anyways when it only took him five minutes to put all the props in the right place? Well, he was new to the play, unlike himself who had been in the production last year. It was funny how bright his eyes got when he was nervous-

"Heyah! Alfred, we need to fix the line here, right?" A cheery Italian said, popping up beside the American, jolting him from his reminiscing.

"Oh yeah, let me get the script." Picking up his neon-green copy of the play, he flipped to page 48. "Okay, so you start with your part and I'll read Wanmei's part for her."

"All-a-right! I'm Dopey!" Feliciano did a funny pose, getting ready to act his heart out in front of a crowd. Alfred smiled, wondering if he could ever return to being that carefree, if he could ever have Arthur._ Well, as they say in show business, break a leg._

* * *

Ten minutes until curtains open….

A series of claps rang out in the back hallway. Like they had been trained into doing the past few weeks, the entire cast and crew that wasn't busy clapped back, copying the pattern until the corridor was quiet.

Their German director, Ludwig, barked out at the crowd. "Now, we'll start our traditional chant before the performance. Everyone knows it, I take it?" Heads nodded. "Good."

Arthur rushed in from stage right. "Terribly sorry, I was just fixing the props," he apologized, quickly catching his breath, "What'd I miss?" He said quietly to Alfred.

Alfred shrugged. "Not much. They'll start Sito Rita soon."

"What's that?"

"It's kinda like this thing we do before every play, like a victory chant. I don't know, it's like Celtic or something…You'll see, just echo what the directors say."

"In a circle, everyone!" The huddle of people spread out into a relatively round shape, "Sito Rita Meta Mater!" Ludwig said.

"Sito Rita Meta Mater!" The crowd echoed.

"Ringo Jonah Tito Marlon!"

"Ringo Jonah Tito Marlon!"

"Jack La Toya, Janet Michael!"

"Jack La Toya, Janet Michael!"

"Dumbledora the Explora!"

"Dumbledora the Explora!" The crew finished strongly.

Whispering out of the corner of his mouth, Alfred muttered "Every time we do that it's like summoning the dead". Arthur snorted, wondering how his friend could get so scared over ghosts and the like. The entire team disbanded and everyone scattered, talking nervously and adding finishing touches to everything. Matthew was retying Francis's cape, which had come undone, but had to dash back to his beloved soundboard to check the prelude music.

"Got my prop?" Alfred asked unnecessarily as Arthur threw him a goose puppet.

"Indeed I did, as you can see, being the pretentious git you are. Try not to break it with your idiot strength, we haven't got more." Arthur breathed deeply, mentally checking off the list of props in his head.

"We've got everything. Make sure you-"

"Don't lose it, I know."

"No, you interrupting wanker, that you don't make a bloody mess of it." Arthur scowled and clapped the taller boy on the shoulder. "as you foolish Americans say, 'Break a leg'."

"Thanks Artie. See you at scene changes." Alfred exited the hallway to backstage, darkened for the anticipating audience. The bell on his hat softly jingled as a breeze of air from the closing door shook it, signaling the actors who were frantically studying their scripts in the light of their phones to look up. Waving, Alfred got into position on the stage.

The first scene went by smoothly enough as Alfred watched from the wings. The stage right door opened, letting a thing, blond boy slip in. He was hard to make out because he was wearing all black, but Alfred would have recognized him anywhere.

Giving a quick and quiet "hello" to the Brit, Alfred turned back to watching the performance. He was glad that the darkness of offstage hid his blush. Arthur was leaning back against the covered piano, closing his eyes and saving his energy for the next of many set changes. The Londoner had constantly groaned about the number of times the mill became the forest, the castle became the dungeon and so on. Even though he could leave for backstage between changes, he usually stayed.

Alfred listened for his cue word as the lights went off and the curtain was pulled over the princess and the mill boy. Following his fellow jesters, they walked onstage. It was like a million invisible eyeballs were focused on his, but being a natural performer he kept his cool. The spotlight nearly blinded them when it focused on the trio, but Feliciano quickly recovered.

"Hello, everybody! I'm Dopey!"

* * *

A/N: Hah, I feel Mattie here cause I owe my friend six of my firstborn children from jinxes. I'm loosely basing the play off of the one that we pulled off at my school this year, so if I accidentally violate a copyright, which is hard to do cause I'm purposefully being vague, forgive me OTL. Speaking of violations, both the name of the fic and the song lyrics come from the song "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift. Plus, the chant is England's from Episode 13 of Hetalia, which also does not belong to me. R&R, imaginary cookies to those who do! XD Daily updates for this one, I promise...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay! Working on daily updates, think I'm doing an al right job. Thanks for the reviews, I loved them :)

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Arthur let out a breath backstage in the darkness. The scene seemed to be going well, but they would have to pull off the entire transformation before it ended. The curtains were still closed and the jesters were standing on the other side of them performing, meaning that the change could take place unnoticed. The sound of a lever being thrown came right after the curtains closed, turning on the barely visible blue lights. In the poor illumination, Arthur carried fake trees and rocks to the pre-planned places, his quiet footsteps blending in with the rest of the crew's as they tiptoed across the scratched wood floor. A lush green forest materialized out of a mill setting and Arthur ran back behind the side curtains before the scene ended. Alfred came walking off stage just a few seconds later, giving Arthur a thumbs-up which the Brit mirrored.

After a few more plot developments, the curtains closed and the house lights came on. Matthew quickly plugged in his mp3 player and the intermission music started playing as the audience chatted amongst themselves. Turning up the volume gradually, he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and relaxing after reading the sound cues in the dark. When he opened them, a handsome face with a slightly stubbly chin was looking down at him. Matthew blushed and jumped up. "Francis!"

"_Bonjour, Mathieu, mon ami. _You seemed awfully tired." His dark blue eyes sparkled playfully. Matthew couldn't help but think that the way Francis said his name was incredibly sexy….

"M-Me? I-I'm fine," Matthew stuttered nervously, "just a nap during intermission. Y'know."

"_Oui, au revoir, _now I'm off to makeup. Touchups, _nes pas_?" Francis exited stage left and the Canadian let out a breath of relief and collapsed in his chair. His crush had startled him, which, frankly, wasn't hard to do, but he was left unusually breathless afterwards and his heart was pounding. Putting his hands over his eyes, Matthew had a pained expression on his face that he wanted no one else to see. If love hurt this much, he'd rather not love at all.

Alfred jumped up the steps only minutes after Francis had left, his jester's hat jingling. "Hey Mattie."

"Hey Al. Why are you up here? You're not crew." Matthew asked curiously.

"Well, you know Artie, he was all "bloody hell, go get your prop, tea and crumpets and all that" The latter was performed in a rather bad imitation of Arthur's voice.

The Canadian laughed. "Alfred, you know Arthur sounds nothing like that."

Alfred smiled a little sadly. "Yeah, I know. Hey, I saw Francis come walking out of here a while ago, did he say anything to you?"

Matthew sighed in his regretful manner, making the American wince slightly. "He said hi. Scared me half to death doing so, eh?"

"Yep. Well, I'm off to get my prop." A slow love song was playing over the PA system as Alfred waltzed across the stage, taking care not to bump into the pillars of the castle. Holding his hands out for the partner in his imagination, the American danced to the sweet tones of the vocalist, smiling a little at a combination of his appearance and docile loneliness. Recognizing the lyrics to the song, he whispered them under his breath:

_There I was again tonight_

_Forcing laughter, faking smiles_

_Same old tired, lonely place_

_Walls of insincerity _

_Shifting eyes and vacancy_

_Vanished when I saw your face_

_All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you_

Grabbing his goose puppet, he exited into the hallway. Like always, the directors were congratulating their thespians and backstage workers as both the former and the latter devoured snacks set out for them.

Snatching a few packs of fruit snacks and a mini-sized Coke, Alfred walked over to the spot in the hallway where several of his friends had congregated: Kiku, Matthew, Arthur and Francis.

"Herro, Alfred-san. Did everything go werr?" His Japanese friend questioned, his accent changing the words a bit.

"Oh yeah, everything was good. Don't worry Artie, everyone got their props." Alfred assured them.

His friend scowled indignantly. "I know, you git, I was standing behind the curtains the entire time!"

"Whatevs. Hey Francis, your sick scene was cool this time."

"Oh, _oui, _but those directors said I should make my moans and groans a little less sexual."

"I-I thought it was fine." Matthew, twiddling his thumbs, blushed very slightly and Alfred could only guess what he was imagining.

"_Merci, Mathieu._" Francis reclined into as casual a position one could manage in a cluttered hallway. "All that is left is to chain my daughter's betrothed in the dungeon. Ohonhohonhohn, I wonder what the directors would say about that."

"Sod off, frog. Your habit for mature jokes is sickening." Arthur said, trying to ignore the Frenchman and eat a snack before their ten minute break ran out.

"Arfred, do you think the spots were arr right in the first scene?" Kiku said, holding up his light cues script, ready to jot down notes.

"They were okay, but could you make it focus on me? I am the hero after all." Alfred flashed his brightest smile over, looking quite the bishonen rescuer.

"Duarry noted." Kiku sighed and closed his book.

"Oh, bugger," Arthur suddenly got up, "I have to get more props on the stage. Alfred, don't eat my food." He ran back through the door to stage left.

Alfred, who had been half-reaching for the almost-finished bag of corn chips, sighed and let his hand drop. "He's a workaholic, that's for sure."

"Yeah. Unlike you, Al, eh?" Matthew said, poking his brother's shoulder.

"You bet." Alfred got a bit of a faraway look in his eyes, "I'm nothing like Arthur."

Placing the dungeon keys on a small chair, Arthur neatly organized the rest of the props in order of use in the next scene. Walking over to the rows of levers which controlled the lights, he ran his hand across the smooth metal. Matthew's iPod was still playing music, creating a peaceful ambiance. Arthur sighed, relaxing a bit. He'd wondered how Alfred managed to perform in front of everyone, joking around and doing the most ridiculous things. Then again, Arthur smirked thinking this, it wasn't that much different from how he normally acted.

He wondered if the American ever noticed him beyond normal, daily activities. Did he think about him, just during the day, offhandedly? He shook his head, mentally scolding himself for being so egotistical. It was amazing how ignorant a person could get sometimes. Alfred truly was horrible at reading the atmosphere.

The quiet serenity of the theater put his tired mind to rest. On impulse, he started a waltz, sweeping across the floor with precise footsteps, but only because he was certain no one would see him. Arthur hummed the melody to the song under his breath,

_Your eyes whispered,_

"_Have we met?"_

_Crossed the room, your silhouette_

_Starts to make its way to me_

_The playful conversation starts_

_Counter all your quick remarks_

_Like passing notes in secrecy_

_And it was enchanting to meet you_

_All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you…._

Chuckling a little at how completely hopeless he must seem at the moment, Arthur stopped and reorganized the evil ogre transformations, page's towels and a magic necklace on the other side of the stage. The others might call him a workaholic and a neat freak, especially the frog, but he was just doing his duty as a member of the production. That was how he saw it, at least.

Not a moment later, the other thespians poured onstage, after all, even though the Brit had temporarily forgotten, it was three minutes until show time. Matthew hurriedly sat in his soundboard chair, checking his playlist and holding up two fingers for the rest of the crew to see.

Two minutes. Not much time then. Arthur saw Kiku flip off the lights backstage and use his slim flashlight to check the cues. Yao was managing spots this round, so he would work the huge board of color-coded levers and switches. The sound manager flashed his own flashlight, just once, meaning that it was one minute until curtains open.

Kiku nodded and dimmed the houselights, making cries of "Oh! It's starting" come from the audience. Giving another quick signal to Matthew, who nodded and turned up mics 1 and 4, the Japanese boy tapped his friend Heracles on the shoulder.

The heavy red velvet curtains slid to the sides and bright lights came on, illuminating the ogre's castle where the protagonist was about to be devoured. Meanwhile, Arthur stood, clad in all black, virtually hidden behind the side curtains. The actors onstage seemed to be doing a good job; that much he could tell from the emphasized and projected lines. A finger tapped lightly on his shoulder as Alfred the jolly jester made his presence known. Arthur just looked over and huffed, then turned back to adjust Alfred's sideways hat. The American was glad that the darkness hid the reddening of his face as his heart flipped.

Back across the stage, Kiku attentively watched as yet another protagonist defeated the ogre and signaled. The curtains closed and mics went off. Alfred flashed his trademark smile, which still managed to be interpreted despite the darkness, and strode to his place. Arthur began moving giant spiders back and placing thrones, moving in sync with the crew.

And so it went, the scenes progressed as the erstwhile protagonist slowly won the heart of a princess, even after being banished from the kingdom.

The narrators started on their last line, "And they all lived…"

Everyone on any part of the stage knew what came next and said in unison, "Happily ever after!"

Rather bittersweet when you think about it.

Kiku's flashlight flicked as the curtains closed and Matthew turned up the curtain call music.

Now, every single person helped disassembling the scenery, pushing columns back and hiding them behind the back curtains. As quickly as possible, the entire stage was cleared and the curtains went back up. Arthur had moved to stage left and was standing next to Matthew and Francis.

Curtains slid to the side as the jesters rushed on stage, lit up in the bright stage lights. Bowing quickly, they slid back as the ogres strode up arrogantly, still very much in character. Arthur sighed, making way for Francis the king to go ahead and give his most attractive bow. It was the end of a successful play, shouldn't he be happy? But for him, it just showed him how time was running out on him and Alfred. Even though he didn't know it, on stage, Alfred was thinking the exact same thing.

Finally, the cast had finished, making the entire backstage crew, rush onto stage, squinting under the glare of lights and making one huge wave of a bow. Then, the entire production bowed together, listening to the whoops and applause of an appreciative audience. One crew member crept up to the curtains, closing them to finish off their debut show. Kiku flicked the audience lights on before being caught up in the flood of thespians going to the hallway.

Matthew barely turned on the end music before getting dragged off by his overenthusiastic brother. The back hallways were a cheerful chaos of congratulations and farewells. Arthur thought he saw Feliciano give their German director a kiss on the cheek, which was normal practice for the scatter-brained boy, but Ludwig immediately turned red and started blustering. The overly affectionate Italian just laughed.

Alfred looked on as Arthur allowed himself exactly thirty seconds of break before running back on stage to get all the props back. The American sighed, wondering if the object of his affections would ever be able to relax.

That same song was playing when he walked onto the stage. Briefly, the Brit wondered if Matthew had been listening to it lately. He found his mind slipping back to thinking about Alfred, which he allowed it to do. His cheerful smile, his bright blue eyes, even the way that persistent curl of hair on his head never seemed to lay flat, the completely oblivious yet kind personality behind that tall frame….

Shaking his head, as if trying ineffectively to dispel his thoughts, Arthur breathed deeply and started gathering up his props.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it :)


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Alfred was joking around with everyone as usual, signing playbills and smiling through the layers of paint caked on his face. Francis was also autographing, but it seemed he was writing more down than his name by the expressions on the girl's faces. Alfred slipped away from the crowd long enough to wipe off the ridiculous face paint and return his costume back to the green room to make him look normal again.

When most of the crowd had left, the Frenchman leaned over to Alfred, "Just ask him out already. I can tell you like him."

"Wh-What? Who?" Alfred said, feigning ignorance despite the slight reddening in his face.

Francis sighed tiredly. "Honestly, you are stuttering worse than dear _Mathieu, _I'm talking about Arthur."

Alfred realized it would be useless trying to play dumb. "I'm not going to."

"Why not?"

"Because he'd just reject me. He already scolds me every chance he gets and he really doesn't need another reason to hate me." Alfred's smile slipped away, replaced with a melancholy look.

"_Non, non, mon ami. _You see, he's doing that because he cares for you. Really you must be as ignorant as they say if you are so incompetent reading the atmosphere. Why do you think he fixes that ridiculous hat of yours and corrects your makeup?" Francis was in his element here, creating matches among the students of their school.

Alfred was a little shocked. He'd never taken the time to imagine that Arthur could actually...feel the same… "But…if that's not-"

Francis waved a dismissive hand. "Of course that's it. You are being as unreasonable as always. He's on the stage now, just go ahead and tell him!" That said, the Frenchman was shoving him towards the doors, to no effect as Alfred was the quarterback of the football team.

"No. Francis, just no." Alfred's heart felt like someone was squeezing it, making him anxious and afraid. His pulse was racing and his dearest wish was for his face to go back to its regular color rather than its bright red.

"Do it. The worst he can do is say no." Francis prompted.

"He'd avoid me for forever and I…." Alfred wanted to cry. "I can't take that."

"Do it or I will do it for you." Francis's eyes glinted coldly. Honestly, he was getting tired of watching these two dance around each other, and he could tell they both were suffering. Better now than later.

"I….Fine." Alfred made his choice. Looking back, he'd gone through too much. It was better to end it now than suffer through this hell of unrequited love one day longer.

Arthur had finished putting away most of the props, but was now left scanning for stray bits of forest foliage. Ludwig had asked, well, ordered was more like it, for him to take up the task, so the irritated but obedient Brit did so. He was reaching for a purple flower when the doors opened.

A voice with a familiar American accent spoke. "Need some help there, Artie?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. As always, the boy had both the best and the worst timing. "I'm just picking up bits of the forest. Not really much to do-"

"Artie, the hero helps everyone! I'd do good, I promise." Alfred hopped onto the stage and started picking up some green leaves.

Arthur scowled. "First off, you utter berk, it's 'I'd do well', and don't call me Artie!" He picked up a sprig of plastic forget-me-nots, tossing them into a basket he had out. Alfred threw in a couple of dark blue cornflowers, then cocked his head as he recognized the song.

"Oh hey listen, its Mattie's favorite song! Even though he won't admit it." Alfred sang part of the song.

_This night is sparkling  
__Don't you let it go  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Blushing all the way home  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
__I was enchanted to meet you~_

Alfred practically yodeled the last part, causing Arthur to wince. "Stop that, you wanker. Have I ever told you how much I loathe your singing?" Even though he would never admit it, his friend's singing was actually rather good. He was in the school chorus, after all.

The American flashed a smile. "Not recently."

"Git." Arthur placed a bundle of faux jonquil in the basket, grumbling about how careless the crew was to leave all these flowers around.

Alfred just smiled and tossed in some silk ragweed. "So, Artie…"

"Don't call me that." A fake acacia flower was laid on top of the stack of plastic plants.

"Well," Alfred honestly had no idea how he was going to continue, but he gave it a shot and put his gift of gab to the test, "Francis and Kiku are coming with Mattie and me to that ice cream shop after this. Wanna come?" He found a yellow daffodil blossom and shot it like a basketball into the pile.

"It's nine o'clock Alfred, it better be short. And I've got to finish with these ridiculous bits that everyone left everywhere." He huffed and picked up a fake shred of mallow to put in the basket.

"I'll help." Alfred picked up a white rose, thankful it had no thorns, and was walking over to put it in the basket. A flashback suddenly stuck him as he looked at the flower in his hand. A rather clever plan formed in his head. "Hey, remember when we were learning the flower language in sixth grade?"

Arthur sighed. "You mean when the rest of the class was learning it and you and Francis were talking?" He'd picked up a red rose, left over from the wedding scene.

"Do you remember what this one is?" Alfred held up his flower, wearing a slightly curious expression. "A white rose?"

Arthur glanced over at it and his face flushed lightly as he recognized it. "I-It was eternal love, last time I checked."

"You don't say." Alfred smiled and walked over to the bashful Arthur. If he'd wanted confirmation, that was probably it. Looks like Francis was right. He could do this now. "And what does yours mean?"

Arthur looked down at his own. "Well, all I can say is you must be a bloody idiot if you don't know this one." He stammered, noticing how Alfred was significantly closer to him than before. A corner of his mind wondered where this was going.

"Yeah…" Alfred voice caught a little, making Arthur look up. In response, Alfred promptly grabbed the surprised Brit and pulled him into an embrace. The shorter blond tried to pull away, but his strength was hardly anything compared to Alfred.

Alfred whispered next to his ear. 'You're right. You really have to be an idiot not to know it." Arthur felt his heart skip. He was stunned. What-?

"I-I don't know what's going on…" Arthur started, but he sounded slightly panicked. He himself had a slight suspicion that Francis had played a role in this. Without meaning to, he breathed in Alfred's scent, like chocolate mixed with sunshine. He felt light headed for a second, motionless in the American's arms.

"Arthur, I think you do know what's going on." Alfred released him slightly and their eyes met, sky blue and meadow green. The Brit was shocked; he was sure this was all a dream. There was no way that he could be lucky enough….

"Alfred…" Arthur said quietly, his heart so loud in his ears he was sure it was echoing across the empty auditorium. His fingers gripped the back of Alfred's shirt loosely, rumpling the soft fabric. Alfred ran his hand through Arthur's golden hair, cradling the base of his head in his palm.

"Arthur…..You know, I've had a crush on you since I met you…I just never…" Alfred looked down, blushing furiously, his cheeks hot.

"…I never thought you would either, Alfred." Arthur said, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice as his heart, hiding his face in Alfred's shoulder. The flowers in their hands met, red and white united as their fingers entwined.

"Arthur…" The Brit looked up, his eyes teary, and he was met with a gentle, sweet kiss. Alfred was telling him it wasn't a dream anymore, while confirming the same for himself. It was soft and hesitant, but not unsure. All of Arthur's doubting thoughts flew away as they pushed deeper into a more passionate kiss.

Arthur felt like he was melting inside, just as Alfred's tongue tangled with his in a hot, wet mess. He prayed this wasn't a dream. It seemed that the only thing that existed in the huge, open room was them, a singular point as the music in the background accompanied their thoughts,

_This night is sparkling  
__Don't you let it go,  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Blushing all the way home  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
__I was enchanted to meet you…._

They finally broke apart, panting slightly, staring into each other's eyes as cerulean reflected emerald. Arthur felt a hand delicately parting his hair, twisting the golden blond strands. He felt like he was overflowing from joy, on a cloud above whatever cruel reality that had kept him from this.

Alfred grinned mischievously. "Are you going to come with us to get ice cream now?"

Arthur punched him in the shoulder. "Git!"

The American rubbed his aching arm. "So is that a yes in British?"

Arthur wanted to snap back with a quick response, but instead thought for a second. "In this case, it is."

"Sweet!" Alfred jumped down from the stage, landing perfectly and holding out his arms to the head of the props department. "Oh dear princess, leap down!" He said in mock dramatic tones. Arthur just shook his head, wondering when he would start to act his age.

"Ever the hero, aren't you?" After a second of hesitation, the Brit did jump down, landing successfully in Alfred's arms. The actor just smiled knowingly, embracing him.

"Yep. But now I'm your hero."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Alfred, just when I think you couldn't be any bit more melodramatic…"

"First one out of the auditorium gets shotgun seat!" Alfred took off, leaving an enraged Brit behind.

"That's hardly fair, you bloody git!" He tried to catch up to the laughing American ahead of him as the music carried on in the background, echoing the moment they had shared.

_This night is flawless  
__Don't you let it go  
__I'm wonderstruck  
__Dancing round all alone  
__I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
__I was enchanted to meet you_

* * *

A/N: That's it :) in case you were wondering, I had them using flower language the whole time they were picking them up.

Jonquil: Unrequited love  
Ragweed aka Ambrosia: Love is reciprocated  
Acacia: Secret love  
Cornflower: A young man in love (I also used it in A June Wedding)  
Daffodil: Also unrequited love  
Mallow: Consumed by love  
White rose: Arthur's right about that one, eternal love  
Red rose: True love, of course  
A white rose and a red one together: United

I got it from Wikipedia, so I hope they're accurate. Review, especially if you're an expert in flower language and want to point out my mistakes. I might just write a whole fic on flower language, wait and see ;)


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